Double the taste with Co-op cheesecakes

Linda Ericsson and some of her friends had been reminiscing about the recipes that used to be on Peoples Co-op milk products, and asked if anyone had kept the pancake recipe and three cheesecake recipes. Last month the pancake recipe was featured and one of the cheesecakes, and the remaining two cheesecake recipes are featured today. Readers wrote that this was the brand of choice in years past. The company no longer exists and you can use your favourite brands of milk and cream cheese products.

Thanks to Margaret Perreault (who happened to have original copies of all of the recipes), Ruby McNeilly, Olga Kucher, Fay Bigourdin, Vicky Low, Heather Brenan, Dorothy Stroppa, Mary Enright, Diane Holigroski of Beausejour and her mother, Bernice Matychak, Rose Sinnott of Beausejour, Beatrice Tymko of Belair, Noella Ducharme of St. Eustache, Jeanette Johnston of Keewatin, Ont. and Nora Schiller, a former Winnipegger now living in B.C.

Still on the subject of desserts, Deanne Leveque asks if anyone has the recipe for the strawberry pie that was served at the lunch counter at Woolworth's on Portage Avenue back in the 1960s. She recalls that it had custard and Jell-O-like layers and was served with fresh strawberries.

Saskatoon season is coming up and Sarah Cromer would like a saskatoon pie recipe that includes both tapioca and almond extract, and asks where she might be able to purchase frozen saskatoons any time of the year. She is also on the hunt for a turkey barley soup recipe.

Valerie Schreyer has misplaced a recipe that was in the Free Press a few years ago entitled "My sister Wendy's ribs". The ribs were cooked for one hour, then marinated overnight and cooked again the next day.

Lastly, Darlene Goodman would like to replicate Safeway's ambrosia salad, broccoli crunch, and seven grain salad.

If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you'd like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Darlene Henderson, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave., Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

Co-op refrigerator cheesecake

2 envelopes gelatin

125 ml (1/2 cup) cold water or pineapple juice

185 ml (3/4 cup) Co-op milk

250 ml (1 cup) fine sugar

2 egg yolks (beaten)

454 g ( 1 lb) Co-op sandwich cream cheese

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

250 ml (1/2 pint or 1 cup) Co-op whipping cream (whipped)

2 egg whites (stiffly beaten)

Crushed pineapple or chopped cherries

Soak gelatin in cold water or pineapple juice.

Combine milk, sugar and slightly beaten egg yolks in double boiler and cook until thickened (about 15 - 20 min.). Remove from heat, add gelatin and cool.

Cream the cheese well and add gelatin mixture and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream and stiffly beaten egg whites.

Add crushed pineapple or chopped cherries as desired.

Crust

30 graham wafers

45 ml (3 tbsp) sugar

90 ml (6 tbsp) melted butter

Crush graham wafers into a powder. Add sugar and melted butter. Mix well. Press 2/3 of mixture into 25 cm (10-inch pan). Pour filling over this and top with remaining crumbs. Place in refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours.

Taste Tester Notes: This is not as dense as a traditional cheesecake, but is very light and almost froth-like. I added 250 ml (1 cup) of well-drained crushed pineapple and used the pineapple juice to soften the gelatin. This dessert is not overly sweet, so a fruit sauce topping would also be nice on it. When cooling the gelatin and egg mixture, let cool at room temperature (do not refrigerate or the mixture will congeal). Thirty graham wafers equals about 425 ml (1 3/4 cups) of crumbs. I used 2 - 250 g packages of regular cream cheese and a 22 cm (9-inch) springform pan.

Co-op baked cheesecake (II)

Base

1/2 box graham wafers, rolled fine

60 ml (1/4 cup) soft butter, rubbed into the crumbs

Pat into 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8-inch) pan. Save 175 ml (3/4 cup) crumbs for top.

Cheesecake

2 cartons cream cheese, whipped thoroughly

125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar

3 eggs

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

Beat until light and fluffy.

Fold in

10 maraschino cherries, cut fine

125 ml (1/2 cup) well-drained crushed pineapple

Pour over graham wafer mixture and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Bake in moderate oven 175 C (350 F) for 35 minutes. Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours.

Taste Tester Notes: This also makes a tasty cheesecake. Half of a box of graham crackers equals 500 ml (2 cups) of crumbs. I used 2 - 250 g packages of regular cream cheese.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition May 10, 2010 D4